Split rope socket



July 11, 1961 R R, SEALS 2,991,525

SPLIT-ROPE SOCKET Filed May e, 1959 ROBERT R. SEALS VENTOR.

ATTORNEY 2,991,525 SPLIT ROPE SOCKET Robert R. Seals, Box 177, Fox, Okla. Filed May 6, 1959, Ser. No. 811,365 1 Claim. (Si. Zei-124) The present invention relates to the oil industries and more particularly to a Wire line rope socket connecting device.

When oil well servicing tools, such as bailers, swabs, or the like, are operated in well bores cn the end of a wire line, it is conventional practice to connect the free end of the wire line to these well tools by a rope socket device which is permanently secured to the rope by babbitt or the like; therefore, when a diierent tool is to be used, a portion of the wire rope must be cut off, to separate the tool and wire line, necessitating rebabbitting the line to the rope socket of the next or different tool to be used. This is a time consuming operation and results, over a period of time, in wasting a considerable length of wire rope.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention to provide a rope socket device which will eliminate cutting oil and rebabbitting the wire line end each time a diierent well tool is used.

Another object is to provide a device of this class having a conventional threaded reduced end portion for removably connecting the device to an oil well tool.

Another object is to provide a device of this class which freely receives the rope through a central bore and wherein the device is longitudinally split to facilitate its connection with and removal from the wire rope.

A further object is to provide a device of this class having a reduced upper end portion whereby the device may be fished out of the Well if lost therein.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing an elongated longitudinally split cylindrical body having a central bore for freely receiving a wire rope therethrough. One end of the body is externally threaded and adapted for connecting the device to one end of a well tool. The opposite end of the device is provided with an elongated portion of reduced diameter which threadedly receives a sleeve for maintaining the device in assembled relation.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the device in operative position when connected with a tool, a fragment of the tool being shown by dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1; and,

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3 3 of FIG. l.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 1t? indicates the device, as a whole, which is substantially cylindrical in general conguration and includes a body member 12 and a sleeve member 14. The body 12 is centrally bored longitudinally, as at 16, for slidably receiving a wire line 18 therethrough.

The wire line 18 has its free end portion securely anchored, by babbitting the strands thereof, not shown, Within a conventional wire rope socket or stinger 20.

One end of the body member 12 is formed of reduced diameter and is externally threaded to form a pin end 22 of conventional size which is defined by an annular shoulder 24 perpendicular with respect to the longi iiatented July l1, 1961 tudinal axis of the bore 16. The pin 2.2 is adapted to be threadedly connected with any selected conventional oil well servicing tool as indicated by the dotted lines 26. The free or depending end of the pin 22 is further provided with an annular shoulder 28 surrounding the bore 16 for providing a seat for receiving the adjacent end of the stinger 2l) when the wire rope or line 18 is supporting the tool 2o thus preventing undue damage to the threaded pin 22.

The opposing or upper end of the body 12 forms an elongated end portion 3l? of reduced diameter terminating intermediate the ends of the body by an annular shoulder 32. A portion of the periphery of the reduced end portion Sli, adjacent the shoulder 32, is externally threaded, as at 31, for threadedly engaging the sleeve 14. Diametrically the sleeve is substantially equal with respect to the external diameter of the body member l2 and longitudinally the sleeve 14 is of relatively short length thus permitting the upper end portion of the reduced end portion 30 to project beyond the sleeve. A plurality of annular grooves 34 are formed in the periphery of the free end of the reduced end portion 30 for permitting recovery of the tool by conventional oil well fishing tools if the device is lost in the well bore.

The body member 12. is longitudinally divided to form two halves 12A and 12B to facilitate its connection with and removal from the wire rope 13.

Operation In operation the wire rope 1S is conventionally connected, at its free end, with the stinger 20. The free end of the rope is inserted through the sleeve 14 and the two body halves 12A and 12B are placed in co-operating position around the rope 18. 'Ihe sleeve 14 is then engaged with the threads 31 thus securing the body halves together around the rope 18. The pin 22 is threadedly engaged with the selected tool 26 to be run into a well, not shown. It seems obvious that the device 10 may be disconnected from the tool 26 and from the wire line 18 by reversing the above operations.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I 1am limited by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A rope socket device for connecting a stinger equipped end portion of a wire rope to an oil well tool, comprising: an elongated vertically disposed cylindrical split body member having a longitudinal central bore for freely enveloping a rope intermediate its ends, said body member having annular shoulders intermediate its ends, said body having a lower externally threaded part of reduced diameter adapted for connecting said one end of the device to a well tool and having an opposite elongated cylindrical upper end portion of reduced diameter having external threads terminating adjacent the shoulder, said externally threaded lower end portion having an annular shoulder of reduced diameter surrounding the bore for contacting the stinger equipped end of awire rope in end abutting relation; and a sleeve of relatively short length, diametrically equal with respect to said body member, threadedly engaged with the threads and abutting the shoulder defining said elongated reduced end portion.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

